


Art History Tour

by lunaseemoony



Category: Doctor Who (2005), True Love (TV)
Genre: Art History, Doctor Piper - Freeform, Gen, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-23
Updated: 2016-07-23
Packaged: 2018-07-26 03:40:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7558702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunaseemoony/pseuds/lunaseemoony
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor takes Holly on a short adventure, but it’s one she’ll remember for a lifetime.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Art History Tour

**Author's Note:**

> Prompted by aneclipsedhabitue as part of my Fourteen Days of Ficlets special. Thank you for the prompt!

She met him in the National Gallery in London while visiting a friend. Knowing what she knew now about the Doctor, she found it quite odd that he might simply be roaming an art museum on his own. Was a lonely soul kept company by art? Maybe he found himself in places where he’d be surrounded by like-minded people, she considered. Surprisingly Holly had a lot in common with the ancient being. 

The Doctor had never expressly told Holly her age. She’d just seen it in his eyes as he stopped to admire each painting in the same way she did photos with her mum. They roamed the museum along the same path for a couple of hours before Holly even worked up the bravery to approach the enchantingly old yet young-looking and smartly dressed man. Even then she simply stood a few feet next to him admiring the same painting. 

When Holly finally tore herself away from this painting the Doctor had been looking at her rather than it. She flushed hard immediately, tucked her hair back, and started to shrink away to the next room when he spoke. 

“Ever wonder what they’re thinking when they paint these?” he asked. 

Holly blushed even further but grinned. She couldn’t help it. She seldom had anyone to talk to that actually appreciated art the same way she did. Karen tried but she’d been too young. Art was a deeply personal experience. Holly had always been of the frame of mind that a painter’s hand was driven by their heart. The best art, either from an amateur or a master, all had heart. 

“Often, actually,” Holly answered in a low voice, lips curled into a coy smile. “I’d love to know what made them use color this way, how they crafted this technique.” 

“You could find out.”

Holly took a step back. “What are you talking about?” 

“If you traveled back in time you could find out. You could even see the Mona Lisa being painted.” His smile bloomed into a full grin. “Wouldn’t that be brilliant? I’ve never seen that, actually, come to think of it.”

Holly called him mad and threatened to turn him in to the police. Anybody in their right mind would have felt the same way. He’d told her that going back on his own timeline was never a good idea, save for cheap tricks, which he used to prove to her that he really could travel in time. He picked up next week’s newspaper and dropped it in her lap. She still thought he was completely mad, but her curiosity and his promise to deliver were entirely too enticing to pass up. 

She could barely process seeing the inside of his time ship. Time And Relative Dimension In Space, the Doctor said. TARDIS. Holly could barely wrap herself around the fact that it was bigger on the inside, less that it could move in time and space (even if he’d already shown her proof). She clung to the jump seat for dear life while he put the wild machine into gear. He hadn’t told her where they were going but he promised she would love it. 

Holly nearly broke into tears when she saw the painter’s subject sitting calmly and composed in a chair. Just like the painting she had curly auburn hair. An elderly man a few inches taller than Holly with feathery white hair stood in front of an easel sketching her. 

“Oh my god.” Holly covered her mouth, afraid if she spoke any more the magic would slip through her fingers like sand. “Is that really him?” she got on her tiptoes and whispered in the Doctor’s ear. 

He grinned brightly and nodded. “That’s him all right. Leonardo da Vinci himself. Polymath, genius, brilliant artist, Jack of all trades.”

Tears welled up in Holly’s eyes at the sight of the master’s hand at work. He was flanked by a pair of younger men who were studying their subject much more intently than their teacher, who appeared relaxed about his work. His hand flew across the parchment. Holly and the Doctor took to hiding around a corner for fear of disturbing them and changing art history. She couldn’t bear to tear herself away from the sight, watching Leonardo da Vinci compose his piece while his eyes darted over the woman’s form. If only da Vinci knew that his contributions to society would be loved for centuries to come. Just watching him work, Holly wondered if he even cared. 

“That was amazing!” Holly cried in amazement. Her grin tucked into her cheeks and adrenaline spread like wildfire under her skin. “I can’t believe it.”

“Oh just wait til you see Florence.”

“We could do that?” 

He chuckled. “I could take you to the farthest reaches of the universe if you like. We could go visit Michaelangelo or Gaugin or Freda Kahlo, you name it. We can go anywhere!” 

Holly clutched her chest. The very idea was dizzying but the potential thrilled her. “You’d do that? Why?” 

“Why not? It’d be fun!” He stood in front of the TARDIS and waggled his fingers at her. “Shall we?”

For once Holly felt exhilaration carrying her. The farthest reaches of the universe were calling to her. She dove into the TARDIS after the Doctor in search of them.


End file.
